24.03.2013 Views

Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek - Teknia

Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek - Teknia

Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek - Teknia

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

William D. Mounce<br />

© 2000 William D. Mounce<br />

All Rights Reserved<br />

printing 10/19/2000<br />

1


2 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Table <strong>of</strong> Contents<br />

English Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

Alphabet, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

Diphthongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

English Verb Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

<strong>Greek</strong> Verb Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


English Noun Grammar 3<br />

Issues effecting inflection<br />

S.1 Cases.<br />

English Noun Grammar<br />

• If a word is the subject <strong>of</strong> the sentence, it is in the subjective case.<br />

• If a word shows possession, it is in the possessive case. You can either put “<strong>of</strong>” in front <strong>of</strong><br />

the word, an “apostrophe s” after the word, or just apostrophe if the word ends in “s”.<br />

• If a word is the direct object, it is in the objective case.<br />

• The indirect object is the person/thing that is “indirectly” affected by the action <strong>of</strong> the<br />

verb.<br />

S.2 Number. Words can be either singular or plural, depending upon whether they refer to one, or<br />

more than one.<br />

S.3 Gender. Some words, mostly pronouns, change their form depending upon whether they are<br />

referring to a masculine, feminine, or neuter object.<br />

• Natural gender means that a word takes on the gender <strong>of</strong> the object it represents.<br />

Parts <strong>of</strong> Speech<br />

S.4 Noun. A noun is a word that stands for someone or something.<br />

S.5 Adjective. An adjective is a word that modifies a noun (or another adjective).<br />

S.6 Prepositions. A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between two words. The<br />

word that follows the preposition is called the object <strong>of</strong> the preposition. The object <strong>of</strong> the preposition<br />

is always in the objective case. The preposition together with its object and modifiers is<br />

called a prepositional phrase.<br />

General Issues<br />

S.7 Lexical form. Whereas most people call them “dictionaries,” scholars call them lexicons. The<br />

form <strong>of</strong> the word found in the lexicon is called the “lexical form.”<br />

S.8 Definite article. The definite article is the word “the.”<br />

S.9 Indefinite article. In English, the indefinite article is the word “a.” <strong>Greek</strong> does not have an<br />

indefinite article, although in certain circumstances you will be able to add “a” to your translation.<br />

S.10 Subject and Predicate. A sentence can be broken down into two parts. The term subject<br />

describes the subject <strong>of</strong> the verb and what modifies it. Predicate describes the rest <strong>of</strong> the sentence,<br />

including verb, direct object, etc.


4 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

S.11 An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. They can function adjectivally or substantivally<br />

and be in one <strong>of</strong> three positions.<br />

• An attributive adjective gives a quality–an attribute–to the word it is modifying. It is normally<br />

articular, agreeing with the noun it modifies in case, number, and gender.<br />

• A substantival adjective has no word to modify but rather stands on its own and performs<br />

a function in the sentence. Its gender and number are determined by what it stands for, its<br />

case by its function in the sentence.<br />

• An adjective in the predicate position tells us–predicates–something about the word. A<br />

predicate adjective can function either adjectivally or substantivally and is always anarthrous.<br />

• When there is no article with the noun or the adjective, context decides its function.<br />

S.12 A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun.<br />

• A personal pronoun is a pronoun that replaces a noun referring to a person.<br />

• The word that a pronoun refers back to is the antecedent.<br />

• The same word can be either a pronoun (“That is mine.”) or an adjective (“That car is<br />

mine.”).<br />

S.13 Personal Pronouns. Pronouns can be first person, second person, or third person.<br />

• First person refers to the person speaking (“I”, “we”).<br />

• Second person refers to the person being spoken to (“you”).<br />

• Third person refers to all others (“he,” “she,” “it,” “they”).<br />

S.14 Demonstrative Ponouns. Demonstratives in English are “this/these” and “that/those”<br />

(singular/plural).<br />

S.15 Relative Pronouns. The relative pronouns in English are “who,” “whom,” “that,” “which,”<br />

and “whose.”<br />

• A relative pronoun introduces a clause that usually modifies a noun.<br />

• A relative clause is the relative pronoun and the clause it introduces. “The teacher who has<br />

a halo around his head teaches <strong>Greek</strong>.”<br />

S.16 Clauses. Clauses can perform many <strong>of</strong> the same functions as nouns and adjectives.<br />

• Subject (“Whoever is with me is not against me.”)<br />

• Direct object (“I eat what is placed before me.”)<br />

• Object <strong>of</strong> a preposition (“Give the Bible to whomever asks for it.”)


Alphabet & diphthongs 5<br />

Alphabet<br />

Diphthongs<br />

Alphabet & Diphthongs<br />

Alpha a[lfa a A a a as in father<br />

Beta bh'ta b B b b as in Bible<br />

Gamma gavmma g G g g as in gone<br />

Delta devlta d D d d as in dog<br />

Epsilon e] yilovn e E e e as in met<br />

Zeta zh'ta z Z z z as in daze<br />

Eta h\ta e H h e as in obey<br />

Theta qh'ta th Q q th as in thing<br />

Iota ijw'ta i I i i as in intrigue<br />

Kappa kavppa k K k k as in kitchen<br />

Lambda lavmbda l L l l as in law<br />

Mu mu' m M m m as in mother<br />

Nu nu' n N n n as in new<br />

Xsi (xi) xiæ xs X x x as in axiom<br />

Omicron o] mikrovn o O o o as in not<br />

Pi pi' p P p p as in peach<br />

Rho rJw' r R r r as in rod<br />

Sigma sivgma s S s/" s as in study<br />

Tau tau' t T t t as in talk<br />

Upsilon u\ yilovn u/y U u u as the German ü<br />

Phi fi' ph F f ph as in phone<br />

Chi ci' ch C c ch as in loch<br />

Psi yi' ps Y y ps as in lips<br />

Omega w\ mevga o W w o as in tone<br />

ai as in aisle ai[rw<br />

ei as in eight eij<br />

oi as in oil oijkiva<br />

au as in sauerkraut aujtov"<br />

ou as in soup oujdev<br />

ui as in suite uiJov"<br />

eu, hu as in feud eujquv" / hu[xanen


6 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Issues effecting inflection<br />

<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar<br />

S.17 Stem. If you take the case ending <strong>of</strong>f a noun you are left with the stem. If it is a third declension<br />

stem, drop the genitive case ending.<br />

S.18 Gender. A noun is either masculine, feminine, or neuter. A noun has only one gender and it<br />

never varies.<br />

S.19 Case endings. The case <strong>of</strong> a word in <strong>Greek</strong> is indicated by the “case ending.” This is a suffix<br />

added to the end <strong>of</strong> the word.<br />

S.20 Declensions. There are three basic inflectional patterns that a word can follow. Each <strong>of</strong> these<br />

patterns is called a “declension.” Which pattern a word follows has no effect on its meaning,<br />

only its form<br />

Cases<br />

• Nouns that have a stem ending in an alpha or eta are first declension, take first declension<br />

endings, and are primarily feminine (e.g., grafhv).<br />

• Nouns that have a stem ending in an omicron are second declension, take second declension<br />

endings, and are mostly masculine or neuter (e.g., ajpovstolo"; e[rgon).<br />

• If the stem <strong>of</strong> a word ends in a consonant it is third declension (e.g., savrx).<br />

S.21 Nominative. The nominative case is used to indicate the subject <strong>of</strong> a verb and the predicate<br />

nominative.<br />

S.22 Genitive. The genitive case indicates possession. The word in the genitive usually follows the<br />

word it is modifying (novmoi tou' qeou').<br />

S.23 Dative. The dative case is used to indicate an indirect object.<br />

S.24 Accusative. If a word is the direct object <strong>of</strong> the verb it will be in the accusative case.<br />

S.25 Vocative. The vocative case is the case <strong>of</strong> direct address.<br />

S.26 Word order. Grammatical function is not determined by word order but by case endings.<br />

• As a general rule, try to maintain the same order <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Greek</strong> words in your translation if<br />

possible.<br />

S.27 Lexical form. The lexical form <strong>of</strong> a noun is its nominative singular form.<br />

S.28 Parse. When asked to “parse” a word, you are to specify the case, number, gender, lexical form,<br />

and meaning <strong>of</strong> the inflected form.


<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 7<br />

<strong>Greek</strong> Cases<br />

English cases <strong>Greek</strong> cases and uses Question Key word<br />

1. Subjective (he) 1. NOMINATIVE Who? What?<br />

a. Subject <strong>of</strong> the verb<br />

b. Predicate <strong>of</strong> “is”<br />

VOCATIVE (direct address) “O”<br />

2. Possessive (his) 2. GENITIVE Whose?<br />

a. Possessive “<strong>of</strong>”<br />

b. Object <strong>of</strong> Preposition<br />

c. Direct object<br />

3. Objective (him) 3. DATIVE<br />

d. Ablative (separation) “from”<br />

a. Indirect object to whom? “to” /”for”<br />

b. Object <strong>of</strong> Preposition<br />

c. Direct object<br />

4. Objective (him) 4. ACCUSATIVE<br />

Formula for key word usage:<br />

to what?<br />

d. Instrumental (means) by what? “by”/“with”<br />

e. Locative (place) where? “in”<br />

a. Direct object <strong>of</strong> the verb whom?<br />

b. Object <strong>of</strong> preposition<br />

what?<br />

The word has the ____ case ending, so I know that it functions as the _______ in the sentence; therefore<br />

I translate it with the key word _____ .


8 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Master Case Ending Chart<br />

A dash means that no case ending is used. An underline means that the final stem vowel changes to the<br />

one listed in the chart (rule 5).<br />

first/second declension third declension<br />

masc fem neut masc/fem neut<br />

nom sg " - n " - -<br />

gen sg u " u o" o"<br />

dat sg i i i i i<br />

acc sg n n n a/n -<br />

nom pl i i a e" a<br />

gen pl wn wn wn wn wn<br />

dat pl i" i" i" si(n) si(n)<br />

acc pl u" " a a" a<br />

The Basic Rules Governing Case Endings<br />

S.29 Rule 1. Stems ending in alpha or eta are in the first declension, stems in omicron are in the<br />

second, and consonantal stems are in the third.<br />

S.30 Rule 2. Every neuter word has the same form in the nominative and accusative.<br />

S.31 Rule 3. Almost all neuter words end in alpha in the nominative and accusative plural.<br />

• In the second declension the alpha is the changed stem vowel; in the third it is<br />

the case ending.<br />

S.32 Rule 4. In the dative singular, the iota subscripts if possible.<br />

• Because an iota can subscript only under a vowel (in which case the vowel<br />

lengthens), it subscripts only in the first and second declensions.<br />

S.33 Rule 5. Vowels <strong>of</strong>ten change their length (“ablaut”).<br />

• “Contraction” occurs when two vowels meet and form a different vowel or diphthong<br />

(logo + i ≥ lovgw/).<br />

• “Compensatory lengthening” occurs when a vowel is lengthened to compensate<br />

for the loss <strong>of</strong> another letter (logo + n" ≥ lovgo" ≥ lovgou").<br />

S.34 Rule 6. In the genitive and dative, the masculine and neuter will always be identical.


<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 9<br />

S.35 Rule 7. The Square <strong>of</strong> Stops (showing what happens when joined with s).<br />

• The nt combination drops out when followed by sigma (pant + " ≥ pa'").<br />

• Whatever happens in the nominative singular third declension also happens in<br />

the dative plural. sark + s ≥ sarx. sark + si ≥ savrxi.<br />

S.36 Rule 8. A tau cannot stand at the end <strong>of</strong> a word and will drop <strong>of</strong>f.<br />

Select Paradigms<br />

• When no case ending is used in stems ending in -mat, the tau drops out (ojnomat<br />

+ - ≥ ojnomat ≥ o[noma).<br />

S.37 First and second declension<br />

Labials p b f ≥ y<br />

Velars k g c ≥ x<br />

Dentals t d q ≥ s<br />

2 1 2<br />

masc fem neut<br />

nom sg oJ lovgo" hJ grafhv to; e[rgon<br />

hJ w{ra<br />

gen sg tou' lovgou th'" grafh'" tou' e[rgou<br />

th'" w{ra"<br />

dat sg tw'/<br />

lovgw/ th'/<br />

grafh'/<br />

tw'/<br />

e[rgw/<br />

th'/<br />

w{ra/<br />

acc sg to;n lovgon th;n grafhvn to; e[rgon<br />

th;n w{ran<br />

nom pl oiJ lovgoi aiJ grafaiv ta; e[rga<br />

gen pl tw'n lovgwn tw'n grafw'n tw'n e[rgwn<br />

dat pl toi'" lovgoi" tai'" grafai'" toi'" e[rgoi"<br />

acc pl tou;" lovgou" ta;" grafav" ta; e[rga


10 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

S.38 Third declension forms<br />

S.39<br />

*sark *carit *onomat *pisti<br />

nom sg: savrx cavri " o[noma pi√sti "<br />

gen sg: sark ov" cavrit o" ojnovmat o" pi√ste w"<br />

dat sg: sark i√ cavrit i ojnovmat i pi√ste i<br />

acc sg: savrk a cavrit a o[noma pi√sti n<br />

nom pl: savrk e" cavrit e" ojnovmat a pi√ste i"<br />

gen pl: sark w'n cari√t wn ojnomavt wn pi√ste wn<br />

dat pl: sarx i√(n) cavri si(n) ojnovma si(n) pi√ste si(n)<br />

acc pl: savrk a" cavrit a" ojnovmat a pi√ste i"<br />

3 1 3<br />

masc fem neut<br />

nom sg pa'" pa'sa pa'n<br />

gen sg pantov" pavsh" pantov"<br />

dat sg panti√ pavsh/ panti√<br />

acc sg pavnta pa'san pa'n<br />

nom pl pavnte" pa'sai pavnta<br />

gen pl pavntwn pasw'n pavntwn<br />

dat pl pa'si(n) pavsai" pa'si(n)<br />

acc pl pavnta" pavsa" pavnta<br />

S.40 Vocative.<br />

• In the plural, the vocative is always identical to the nominative plural (a[nqrwpoi).<br />

• In the singular first declension, the vocative is the same as the nominative (ajdelfhv).<br />

• In the singular second declension, the vocative ending is usually epsilon. If you were<br />

speaking directly to a man you would say, a[nqrwpe.<br />

• In the singular third declension, the vocative is usually the bare stem <strong>of</strong> the word, sometimes<br />

with the stem vowel being changed due to ablaut. The vocative <strong>of</strong> pathvr is pavter.<br />

Definite Article<br />

S.41 Agreement. The article has case, number, and gender. The article always agrees with the noun<br />

that it modifies in case, number, and gender.<br />

S.42 Article. The <strong>Greek</strong> article is usually translated “the.” The general rule is to translate according<br />

to the presence or absence <strong>of</strong> the article. If an article is present, translate it. If there is no article,<br />

do not use “the.”<br />

• There are times when the meaning <strong>of</strong> the article seems to shift. oJ dev means, “but he.”


<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 11<br />

Preposition<br />

S.43 The meaning <strong>of</strong> a preposition depends upon the case <strong>of</strong> its object. For example,<br />

• diav with the genitive means “through.”<br />

• diav with the accusative means “on account <strong>of</strong>” if its object is in the accusative.<br />

The object almost always immediately follows the preposition.<br />

S.44 If a word is the object <strong>of</strong> a preposition, do not use the key word.<br />

S.45 The form <strong>of</strong> a preposition does not vary depending on the case <strong>of</strong> its object.<br />

Adjectives<br />

• When a preposition ends in a vowel and the following word begins with a vowel, the final<br />

vowel <strong>of</strong> the preposition may be dropped and marked with an apostrophe (“elision”).<br />

meta; aujtovn ≥ met∆ aujtovn<br />

• When a preposition ends in a vowel and the following word begins with a vowel and rough<br />

breathing, the consonant before the vowel in the preposition <strong>of</strong>ten changes as well.<br />

meta; w|n ≥ meq∆ w|n<br />

S.46 Function. Adjectives can function one <strong>of</strong> two ways.<br />

• When an adjective functions adjectivally, the adjective agrees with the noun it modifies in<br />

case, number, and gender.<br />

• When an adjective functions substantivally, its case is determined by its function. Its gender<br />

and number are determined by what it stands for.<br />

S.47 Positions. Adjectives can occur in one <strong>of</strong> three positions.<br />

• An adjective in the attributive position is immediately preceded by the article.<br />

• An adjective in the predicate position is not immediately preceded by the article. The noun<br />

is modified by the article.<br />

• If there is no noun for the adjective to modify, the adjective must be functioning substantivally.<br />

Adjectives used substantivally are regularly (but not always) preceded by the article.<br />

S.48 When there is no article before the noun or adjective (“independent position”), check the context<br />

to determine your translation.


12 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

S.49 Adjectives fall into four basic categories, depending on which declension they follow and<br />

whether the feminine and masculine forms are the same or different. The masculine and neuter<br />

always follow the same declension.<br />

Pronouns<br />

S.50 Form<br />

• A pronoun always takes its number and gender from another word, either the word it is<br />

modifying or its antecedent.<br />

• A pronoun takes its case from two possible sources. (1) If it is modifying a word (like an<br />

adjective), it agrees with that word in case (as well as number and gender). (2) Otherwise,<br />

it takes its case from its function in the relative clause.<br />

• Pronouns, other than personal pronouns, always introduce a dependent clause.<br />

S.51 Personal pronouns<br />

first second translation<br />

nom sg ejgwv suv I you<br />

gen sg mou (ejmou') sou (sou') my your<br />

dat sg moi (ejmoi√) soi (soi√) to me to you<br />

acc sg me (ejmev) se (sev) me you<br />

nom pl hJmei'" uJmei'" we you<br />

gen pl hJmw'n uJmw'n our your<br />

dat pl hJmi'n uJmi'n to us to you<br />

acc pl hJma'" uJma'" us you<br />

• aujtov" can function as the third person personal pronoun.<br />

S.52 Other uses <strong>of</strong><br />

• Adjectival intensive. aujtov" can also function intensively when it is used adjectivally. In<br />

this case aujtov" normally modifies another word and is usually in the predicate position.<br />

Translate aujtov" with the reflexive pronoun (himself, herself, itself, themselves, etc.). In this<br />

case, aujtov" is usually in the nominative case and modifies the subject.<br />

• Identical adjective. aujtov" is sometimes used as the identical adjective meaning “same.” It<br />

is normally in the attributive position when used this way, but not always.<br />

S.53 Demonstrative pronouns<br />

category masculine feminine neuter<br />

2-1-2 2 declension 1 declension 2 declension<br />

3-1-3 3 declension 1 declension 3 declension<br />

2-2 2 declension 2 declension 2 declension<br />

3-3 3 declension 3 declension 3 declension<br />

• The demonstratives in <strong>Greek</strong> are ou|to" (this/these) and ejkeiæno" (that/those).


<strong>Greek</strong> Noun Grammar 13<br />

• When a demonstrative functions as a pronoun, its case is determined by its function in the<br />

sentence.<br />

• If a demonstrative is functioning as an adjective, it is written in the predicate position<br />

although it is translated as an attributive adjective.<br />

• A demonstrative can weaken in force and be used as a personal pronoun.<br />

• The forms <strong>of</strong> ou|to"<br />

masc fem neut masc fem neut<br />

nom ou|to" au{th tou'to ou|toi au|tai tau'ta<br />

gen touvtou tauvth" touvtou touvtwn touvtwn touvtwn<br />

dat touvtw/ tauvth/ touvtw/ touvtoi" tauvtai" touvtoi"<br />

acc tou'ton tauvthn tou'to touvtou" tauvta" tau'ta<br />

S.54 Relative pronouns<br />

• If the relative clause modifies a word, then the relative pronoun is translated with the simple<br />

“who,” “which,” or “that.”<br />

The man who is sitting at the table is my pastor.<br />

• Relative clauses can perform almost any function that a noun can. In these cases, it may be<br />

necessary to add a pronoun to the clause.<br />

Dependent Clauses<br />

2 1 2<br />

masc fem neut translation<br />

nom sg o{" h{ o{ who/which/that<br />

gen sg ou| h|" ou| <strong>of</strong> whom/which<br />

dat sg w/ | h/ | w/ | to whom/which<br />

acc sg o{n h{n o{ whom/which/that<br />

nom pl oi{ ai{ a{ who/which/that<br />

gen pl w|n w|n w|n <strong>of</strong> whom/which<br />

dat pl oi|" ai|" oi|" to whom/which<br />

acc pl ou{" a{" a{ whom/which/that<br />

S.55 A dependent clause is a collection <strong>of</strong> words that cannot stand alone. It has meaning only when<br />

it is part <strong>of</strong> a complete sentence; it is dependent upon that sentence. As you are looking for the<br />

main subject and verb in a sentence, you will never find them in the dependent clause.<br />

• i{na • ejavn • eij • o{pwß<br />

• o{ti • w{ste • kaqwvß • o{ß, h{, o{<br />

S.56 Personal pronouns in the nominative. When a personal pronoun occurs in the nominative, it<br />

is for emphasis or to clarify the gender <strong>of</strong> the subject. Often the emphasis is by way <strong>of</strong> contrast.<br />

oujc wJ" ejgw; qevlw ajll∆ wJ" suv (Matt 26:39).<br />

Not as I will but as you (will).


14 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

English Verbal Grammar<br />

Terms<br />

S.57 Verb. A verb is a word that describes action or state <strong>of</strong> being. “I am studying <strong>Greek</strong>.” “<strong>Greek</strong> is<br />

the heavenly language.”<br />

S.58 Agreement. A verb must agree with its subject in person (first, second, or third) and number<br />

(singular or plural). A <strong>Greek</strong> verb accomplishes this by using personal endings.<br />

• The <strong>Greek</strong> sentence does not require an expressed subject.<br />

S.59 Tense. “Tense” in English refers to the time when the action <strong>of</strong> the verb takes place. English<br />

verbs are centered on three different tenses (present, past, past perfect). From these three forms<br />

all the variations <strong>of</strong> the verb are formed.<br />

• If you study your <strong>Greek</strong> right now, then the verb is in the present tense (“study”).<br />

• If you are planning on studying tomorrow, then the verb is in the future tense (“will<br />

study”).<br />

• If you studied last night, then the verb is in the past tense (“studied”).<br />

• When you use the helping verbs “have” or “has” (past perfect), the action described was<br />

done in the (recent) past and the statement is accurate up to now.<br />

• The English present can describe an action with current consequences (“It is written”). This<br />

is close to the <strong>Greek</strong> perfect.<br />

S.60 Formation <strong>of</strong> English Tenses<br />

Past simple Past progressive Past perfect<br />

regular active I studied I was studying I had studied<br />

irregular active I ate I was eating I had eaten<br />

regular passive I was studied I was being studied I had been studied<br />

irregular passive I was eaten I was being eaten I had been eaten<br />

Present simple Present progressive Present perfect<br />

regular active I study I am studying I have studied<br />

irregular active I eat I am eating I have eaten<br />

regular passive I am studied I am being studied I have been studied<br />

irregular passive I am eaten I am being eaten I have been eaten<br />

Future simple Future progressive Future perfect<br />

regular active I will study I will be studying I will have studied<br />

irregular active I will eat I will be eating I will have eaten<br />

regular passive I will be studied I will be being studied I will have been studied<br />

irregular passive I will be eaten I will be being eaten I will have been eaten<br />

• The past tense <strong>of</strong> an English verb is formed one <strong>of</strong> two ways. A regular verb forms its past<br />

tense by adding “-ed.” “I study all the time.” “I studied all last night.” An irregular verb


English Verbal Grammar 15<br />

forms its past tense by altering its actual stem. Usually the vowel is changed. “I eat breakfast<br />

every morning.” “I ate last night as well.”<br />

S.61 Voice. “Voice” refers to the relationship between the subject and the verb.<br />

• If the subject does the action <strong>of</strong> the verb, then the verb is in the active voice. “Bill hit the ball.<br />

• If the subject receives the action <strong>of</strong> the verb, the verb is in the passive voice. “Bill was hit by<br />

the ball.” Sometimes there will be a prepositional phrase specifying who or what is doing<br />

the action <strong>of</strong> the verb (e.g., “by the ball”).<br />

• <strong>Greek</strong> has a third voice called the middle (see below).<br />

S.62 Mood. Mood refers to the relationship between the verb and reality.<br />

• A verb is in the indicative if it is describing something that is, as opposed to something that<br />

may or might be (including statements and questions).


16 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar<br />

Formation<br />

S.63 Augment. <strong>Greek</strong> indicates that a verb is in the past time by adding an “augment.”<br />

• If the verb begins with a consonant, the augment is an epsilon, always with smooth breathing<br />

(luvw ≥ e[luon).<br />

• If a word begins with a single vowel, the augment is formed by lengthening that vowel (a ≥ h,<br />

e ≥ h, o ≥ w).<br />

• If a verb begins with a diphthong, either the first letter <strong>of</strong> the diphthong lengthens (eujcaristevw<br />

≥ hujcari√stoun), or the diphthong is not changed at all (euJrivskw ≥ eu{riskon).<br />

S.64 Consonantal reduplication. If a verb begins with a single consonant, that consonant is reduplicated<br />

and the two consonants are separated by an epsilon (lu ≥ lelu ≥ levluka).<br />

• If the consonant that was reduplicated is f, c, or q, the reduplicated consonant will change<br />

to p, k, or t, respectively (fanerovw ≥ fefanero ≥ pefanevrwka).<br />

S.65 Vocalic reduplication. If a verb begins with a vowel or diphthong, the vowel is lengthened.<br />

The vocalic reduplication is identical in form to the augment in the imperfect and aorist<br />

(ajgapavw ≥ hjgavphka).<br />

• If the verb begins with two consonants, the verb will usually undergo vocalic reduplication<br />

and not consonantal reduplication (*gno (ginwvskw) ≥ e[gnwka).<br />

S.66 Stem. The stem <strong>of</strong> a verb is the part <strong>of</strong> the verb that carries its basic meaning. The form luvomen<br />

means “We destroy.” The stem is *lu. Lexicons list up to six different tense forms <strong>of</strong> a verb.<br />

ajgapavw, ajgaphvsw, hjgavphsa, hjgavphka, hjgaphvmai, ajgaphqhvsomai<br />

They are: present; future active middle; aorist active/middle, perfect active; perfect middle<br />

passive; aorist passive (future passive). If the verb occurs in the New Testament in the imperfect,<br />

we have included the imperfect as well, but in parentheses.<br />

e[rcomai, (hjrcovmhn), ejleuvsomai, h\lqon or h\lqa, ejlhvluqa, -, -<br />

If the aorist passive does not occur but the future passive does, then we list the future passive<br />

as the sixth form (e.g., ajgaphqhvsomai).<br />

S.67 Tense formative. The tense formative is a letter or group <strong>of</strong> letters added to the end <strong>of</strong> the tense<br />

stem to form a specific tense.<br />

S.68 Connecting vowel. A connecting vowel is added between the tense stem and a suffix (e.g.,<br />

tense formative, personal ending) to aid in pronunciation.<br />

• In the indicative mood, if the personal ending begins with mu or nu, the connecting vowel<br />

is omicron (leg + o + men ≥ levgomen); the connecting vowel in every other case is epsilon (leg<br />

+ e + te ≥ levgete). If no personal ending is used, the connecting vowel can be either omicron<br />

or epsilon.<br />

S.69 Lexical form. The lexical form <strong>of</strong> verbs is the first person singular, present indicative.<br />

• Deponent verbs will show a present middle/passive lexical form.


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 17<br />

S.70 Parse. When you parse verbs, specify the verb’s tense, voice, mood, person, number, lexical<br />

form, definition <strong>of</strong> inflected form.<br />

S.71 Deponent. A deponent verb is middle or passive in form but active in meaning. You can tell if<br />

a verb is deponent in a particular tense by looking at its lexical form.<br />

• If a verb is a present middle or passive deponent (and therefore the imperfect), its lexical<br />

form will end in omai.<br />

• If a verb is a future middle deponent, its second tense form will end in -omai. If a verb has<br />

a future passive deponent, it will not have a second tense form but it will have a sixth.<br />

• If a verb is an aorist middle deponent, its third tense form will end in -hmhn.<br />

• If a verb is a perfect middle or passive deponent, it will not have a fourth tense form but it<br />

will have a fifth.<br />

• If a verb is an aorist passive deponent, it will not have a third tense form but it will have a<br />

sixth.


18 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

S.72 Personal endings. Personal endings are suffixes that are added to the end <strong>of</strong> the verb and indicate<br />

person and number. Primary personal endings are used in the unaugmented tenses, and<br />

the secondary are used in the augmented tenses.<br />

primary tenses<br />

luvw (-)<br />

luvei" (")<br />

luvei (i)<br />

luvomen (men)<br />

luvete (te)<br />

luvousi(n) (nsi)<br />

luvomai (mai)<br />

luvh/ (sai)<br />

luvetai (tai)<br />

luovmeqa (meqa)<br />

luvesqe (sqe)<br />

luvontai (ntai)<br />

secondary tenses<br />

e[luon (n)<br />

e[lue" (")<br />

e[lue(n) (-)<br />

ejluvomen (men)<br />

ejluvete (te)<br />

e[luon (n)<br />

ejluovmhn (mhn)<br />

ejluvou (so)<br />

ejluveto (to)<br />

ejluovmeqa (meqa)<br />

ejluvesqe (sqe)<br />

ejluvonto (nto)<br />

primary secondary<br />

regular alternate regular alternate<br />

active<br />

1 sg luvw o - mi e[luon o n<br />

2 sg luvei" e " e[lue" e "<br />

3 sg luvei e i si(n) e[lue e -<br />

1pl luvomen o men ejluvomen o men<br />

2 pl luvete e te ejluvete e te<br />

3 pl luvousi(n) o nsi(n) asi(n) e[luon o n san<br />

middle/passive<br />

1 sg luvomai o mai ejluovmhn o mhn<br />

2 sg luvh/ e sai ejluvou e so<br />

3 sg luvetai e tai ejluveto e to<br />

1 pl luovmeqa o meqa ejluovmeqa o meqa<br />

2 pl luvesqe e sqe ejluvesqe e sqe<br />

3 pl luvontai o ntai ejluvonto o nto


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 19<br />

S.73 The Master Verb Chart summarizes all these issues. It must be learned perfectly.<br />

Master Verb Chart<br />

Tense Aug/ Tense Tense Conn. Personal 1st sing<br />

Redup stem form. vowel endings paradigm<br />

Present act pres o/e prim act luvw<br />

Present mid/pas pres o/e prim mid/pas luvomai<br />

Imperfect act e pres o/e sec act e[luon<br />

Imperfect mid/pas e pres o/e sec mid/pas ejluovmhn<br />

Future act fut act s o/e prim act luvsw<br />

Liquid fut act fut act es o/e prim act menw'<br />

Future mid fut act s o/e prim mid/pas poreuvsomai<br />

1st future pas aor pas qhs o/e prim mid/pas luqhvsomai<br />

2nd future pas aor pas hs o/e prim mid/pas ajpostalhvsomai<br />

1st aorist act e aor act sa sec act e[lusa<br />

Liquid aorist act e aor act a sec act e[meina<br />

2nd aorist act e aor act o/e sec act e[labon<br />

1st aorist mid e aor act sa sec mid/pas ejlusavmhn<br />

2nd aorist mid e aor act o/e sec mid/pas ejgenovmhn<br />

1st aorist pas e aor pas qh sec act ejluvqhn<br />

2nd aorist pas e aor pas h sec act ejgravfhn<br />

1st perfect act le perf act ka prim act levluka<br />

2nd perfect act le perf act a prim act gevgona<br />

Perfect mid/pas le perf pas prim mid/pas levlumai<br />

pres act subj pres w/h prim act luvsw<br />

pres mid/pas subj pres w/h prim mid/pas luvwmai<br />

1 aorist act subj aor act sa w/h prim act luvw<br />

1 aorist mid subj aor act sa w/h prim mid/pas luvswmai<br />

1 aorist pas subj aor pas qh w/h prim act luqw'<br />

2 aorist act subj aor act w/h prim act lavbw<br />

2 aorist mid subj aor act w/h prim mid/pas gevnwmai<br />

2 aorist pas subj aor pas w/h prim act grafw'


20 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Aspect and Time<br />

Other Verbal Issues<br />

S.74 Aspect. The basic genius <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Greek</strong> verb is not its ability to indicate when the action <strong>of</strong> the<br />

verb occurs (time), but what type <strong>of</strong> action it describes, or what we call “aspect.”<br />

• The continuous (“imperfective”) aspect means that the action <strong>of</strong> the verb is thought <strong>of</strong> as<br />

an ongoing process.<br />

• The undefined (“perfective”) aspect means that the action <strong>of</strong> the verb is thought <strong>of</strong> as a simple<br />

event, without commenting on whether or not it is a process.<br />

• The perfect aspect describes an action that was brought to completion but has effects carrying<br />

into the present. “Jesus has died for our sins.” “It is written.” Because it describes a<br />

completed action, by implication the action normally occurred in the past.<br />

S.75 Tense. A <strong>Greek</strong> tense carries two connotations: aspect and time. We use the term “tense” to<br />

refer only to the form <strong>of</strong> the verb (e.g., present tense, future tense, aorist tense), and we do not<br />

use the term to designate when the action <strong>of</strong> a verb occurs. We always use the term “time” to<br />

describe “when” the action <strong>of</strong> that verb occurs.<br />

S.76 Time. The time <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Greek</strong> verb is always from the standpoint <strong>of</strong> the writer, not the reader.<br />

Middle Voice<br />

S.77 The vast majority <strong>of</strong> middle forms in the New Testament are deponent.<br />

S.78 Some words, even in the middle, have basically the same meaning as they have in the active.<br />

S.79 A few verbs have one meaning in the active and a totally different meaning in the middle. The<br />

most common example <strong>of</strong> this is a[rcw, which in the active means “I rule” but in the middle<br />

(a[rcomai) means “I begin.”<br />

S.80 The classical definition <strong>of</strong> the middle voice is that the action <strong>of</strong> a verb in the middle voice in<br />

some way affects the subject. We will call this the “self-interest” nuance <strong>of</strong> the middle.<br />

• This is not necessarily the reflexive idea. If the subject <strong>of</strong> the verb performs an action to<br />

itself, Hellenistic <strong>Greek</strong> normally requires the reflexive pronoun (eJautou'). Rather, in the<br />

middle the subject does the action <strong>of</strong> the verb to the direct object, and yet the action <strong>of</strong> the<br />

verb in some way affects the subject.<br />

aijtevw active: I ask<br />

middle: I ask (for myself)


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 21<br />

Roots and Stems<br />

S.81 The “root” <strong>of</strong> a verb is its most basic form. The “stem” <strong>of</strong> a verb is the basic form <strong>of</strong> that verb<br />

in a particular tense.<br />

S.82 The verbal root and the present tense stem can be the same, or the root can be altered when<br />

forming the present tense stem.<br />

• The present tense stem is never altered to form another tense stem; the present tense stem<br />

is <strong>of</strong>ten a modified form <strong>of</strong> the verbal root.<br />

• All tenses are formed from the root, never the present tense stem (except for the imperfect).<br />

S.83 Patterns<br />

• Pattern 1. Verbal Root and the Present Tense Stem are the same.<br />

• roots ending in an iota or upsilon (e.g., *ajkou ≥ ajkouvw; *ajkou ≥ ajkouvsw);<br />

• contract verbs (*poie ≥ poiew'; *poie ≥ poihvsw);<br />

• roots ending in a stop (*blep ≥ blevpw; *blep ≥ blevyw).<br />

• Pattern 2. Roots ending in a stop.<br />

• / verbs. The present tense stems <strong>of</strong> verbs that end in izw or azw are generally<br />

formed from roots that actually end in a dental.<br />

• verbs. The present tense stem <strong>of</strong> verbs that end in assw are generally<br />

formed from roots that actually end in a velar.<br />

• Pattern 3. Double consonants. Present tense stems that end in a double consonant are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

from roots with a single consonant.<br />

• Pattern 4. Letter(s) added. Some roots add a letter or letters to form the present tense stem.<br />

The added letter will not appear in the other tenses.<br />

• Iota. Some roots add an iota to form the present tense stem.<br />

*ar + i ≥ ai[rw (present)<br />

*ar ≥ ajrw' (future)<br />

• Some roots add sk (or isk if the stem ends in a consonant) to form the<br />

present tense stem.<br />

*gno + sk≥ ginwvskw (present)<br />

*gno ≥ gnwvsomai (future)<br />

• Pattern 5. Different roots altogether. Some verbs have totally different forms in the future.<br />

*oJra ≥ oJravw I see<br />

*ojp ≥ o[yomai I will see


22 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Present<br />

Tenses<br />

S.84 The present active indicative verb describes an action that usually occurs in the present. It can<br />

be either a continuous (“I am studying”) or undefined (“I study”) action.<br />

• <strong>Greek</strong> differentiates the present active from the present middle and passive by using two<br />

different sets <strong>of</strong> personal endings.<br />

Active<br />

1 sg luv w I am loosing o -<br />

2 sg luv ei" You are loosing e "<br />

3 sg luv ei He/she/it is loosing e i<br />

1 pl luv o men We are loosing o men<br />

2 pl luv e te You are loosing e te<br />

3 pl luv ousi(n) They are loosing o nsi<br />

Middle /Passive<br />

1 sg luv o mai I am being loosed o mai<br />

2 sg luv h/ You are being loosed e sai<br />

3 sg luv e tai He, she, it is being loosed e tai<br />

1 pl lu ov meqa We are being loosed o meqa<br />

2 pl luv e sqe You are being loosed e sqe<br />

3 pl luv o ntai They are being loosed o ntai)


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 23<br />

Future<br />

S.85 Meaning. The future tense describes an action that will occur in the future.<br />

S.86 Form. The future active and middle are the same form. The future passive is formed from the<br />

unaugmented aorist passive stem.<br />

S.87 Translation. As a general rule, translate the future with the undefined aspect (“I will eat”)<br />

rather than the continuous (“I will be eating”).<br />

future active<br />

1 sg luv s w I will loose o - luvw<br />

2 sg luv s ei" You will loose e " luvei"<br />

3 sg luv s ei He/she/it will loose e i luvei<br />

1 pl luv s omen We will loose o men luvomen<br />

2 pl luv s ete You will loose e te luvete<br />

3 pl luv s ousi(n) They will loose o nsi luvousi(n)<br />

future middle<br />

1 sg poreuv s o mai I will go o mai luvomai<br />

2 sg poreuv s h/ You will go e sai luvh/<br />

3 sg poreuv s e tai He/she/it will go e tai luvetai<br />

1 pl poreu s ov meqa We will go o meqa luovmeqa<br />

2 pl poreuv s e sqe You will go e sqe luvesqe<br />

3 pl poreuv s o ntai They will go o ntai luvontai<br />

first future passive<br />

1 sg lu qhvs o mai I will be loosed o mai<br />

2 sg lu qhvs h/ You will be loosed e sai<br />

3 sg lu qhvs e tai He/she/it will be loosed e tai<br />

1 pl lu qhs ov meqa We will be loosed o meqa<br />

2 pl lu qhvs e sqe You will be loosed e sqe<br />

3 pl lu qhvs o ntai They will be loosed o ntai<br />

Second future passive<br />

1 sg ajpostal hvs o mai I will be sent o mai<br />

2 sg ajpostal hvs h/ You will be sent e sai<br />

3 sg ajpostal hvs e tai He/she/it will be sent e tai<br />

1 pl ajpostal hs ov meqa We will be sent o meqa<br />

2 pl ajpostal hvs e sqe You will be sent e sqe<br />

3 pl ajpostal hvs o ntai They will be sent o ntai


24 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Imperfect<br />

S.88 The imperfect tense is generally translated as a past tense, always with continuous aspect.<br />

Imperfect active<br />

1 sg e[ lu o n I was loosing o n luvw<br />

2 sg e[ lu e " You were loosing e " luvei"<br />

3 sg e[ lu e (n) He/she/it was loosing e - (n) luvei<br />

1 pl ej luv o men We were loosing o men luvomen<br />

2 pl ej luv e te You were loosing e te luvete<br />

3 pl e[ lu o n They were loosing o n\ luvousi(n)<br />

Imperfect middle/passive<br />

1 sg ej lu ov mhn I was being loosed o mhn luvomai<br />

2 sg ej luv o u You were being loosed e so luvh/<br />

3 sg ej luv e to He/she/it was being loosed e to luvetai<br />

1 pl ej lu ov meqa We were being loosed o meqa luovmeqa<br />

2 pl ej luv e sqe You were being loosed e sqe luvesqe<br />

3 pl ej luv o nto They were being loosed o nto luvontai


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 25<br />

Aorist<br />

S.89 The aorist tense describes an undefined action that normally occurs in the past.<br />

• The aorist is always undefined. In translation you use the simple form <strong>of</strong> the English past<br />

tense: “I studied”; not, “I was studying.”<br />

S.90 The <strong>Greek</strong> tense parallel to the English “regular” formation is called the first aorist while the<br />

“irregular” is called the second aorist.<br />

S.91 The middle and passive are distinctly different forms<br />

S.92 First aorist<br />

• The aorist active is formed from the first aorist tense stem, which is generally the same form<br />

as the present tense stem<br />

First aorist active<br />

1 sg e[ lu sa I loosed sa – e[labon<br />

2 sg e[ lu sa " You loosed sa " e[labe"<br />

3 sg e[ lu se (n) He/she/it loosed sa – (n) e[labe(n)<br />

1 pl ej luv sa men We loosed sa men ejlavbomen<br />

2 pl ej luv sa te You loosed sa te ejlavbete<br />

3 pl e[ lu sa n They loosed sa n e[labon<br />

First aorist middle<br />

1 sg ej lu sav mhn I loosed sa mhn ejgenovmhn<br />

2 sg ej luv s w You loosed sa so ejgevnou<br />

3 sg ej luv sa to He/she/it loosed sa to ejgevneto<br />

1 pl ej lu sav meqa We loosed sa meqa ejgenovmeqa<br />

2 pl ej luv sa sqe You loosed sa sqe ejgevnesqe<br />

3 pl ej luv sa nto They loosed sa nto ejgevnonto<br />

First aorist passive<br />

1 sg ej luv qh n I was loosed qh n e[luon<br />

2 sg ej luv qh " You were loosed qh " e[lue"<br />

3 sg ej luv qh He/she/it was loosed qh - e[lue<br />

1 pl ej luv qh men We were loosed qh men ejluvomen<br />

2 pl ej luv qh te You were loosed qh te ejluvete<br />

3 pl ej luv qh san They were loosed qh san e[luon<br />

• Stems ending in a stop (aorist active/middle). First aorist stems ending in a labial form a<br />

psi when joined to the tense formative. Stems ending in a velar (including assw verbs) form<br />

a xsi. Stems ending in a dental (including izw and azw verbs) lose the dental.


26 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

• Stems ending in a stop (aorist passive). If the final stem consonant is a stop, it changes to<br />

its corresponding aspirate before the q in the aorist passive (p/f ≥ q; k/g ≥ c; t/d ≥ s).<br />

• Second aorist stems with first aorist endings. Occasionally you will find certain second<br />

aorist forms with an alpha instead <strong>of</strong> an omicron as the connecting vowel (ei\pon ≥ ei\pan;<br />

h\lqon ≥ h\lqan).<br />

S.93 Second aorist<br />

• Stem. In the active voice, a second aorist will always have a different stem from the present<br />

because the root will always have been modified to form the present tense stem. The only<br />

difference between the imperfect and second aorist active is the tense stem (e.g., e[ballon<br />

vs. e[balon).<br />

Second aorist active<br />

1 sg e[ lab o n I took o n e[luon<br />

2 sg e[ lab e " You took e " e[lue"<br />

3 sg e[ lab e (n) He/she/it took e - (n) e[lue(n)<br />

1 pl ej lavb o men We took o men ejluvomen<br />

2 pl ej lavb e te You took e te ejluvete<br />

3 pl e[ lab o n They took o n e[luon<br />

Second aorist middle<br />

1 sg ej gen ov mhn I became o mhn ejluovmhn<br />

2 sg ej gevn o u You became e so ejluvou<br />

3 sg ej gevn e to He/she/it became e to ejluveto<br />

1 pl ej gen ov meqa We became o meqa ejluovmeqa<br />

2 pl ej gevn e sqe You became e sqe ejluvesqe<br />

3 pl ej gevn o nto They became o nto ejluvonto<br />

Second aorist passive<br />

1 sg ej gravf h n I was written h n ejluvqhn<br />

2 sg ej gravf h " You were written h " ejluvqh"<br />

3 sg ej gravf h He/she/it was written h - ejluvqh<br />

1 pl ej gravf h men We were written h men ejluvqhmen<br />

2 pl ej gravf h te You were written h te ejluvqhte<br />

3 pl ej gravf h san They were written h san ejluvqhsan


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 27<br />

Perfect<br />

S.94 Translation. The perfect can be translated two basic ways.<br />

• If the emphasis <strong>of</strong> the context is on the completion <strong>of</strong> the event, use the helping verbs<br />

“have/has” and the past participle form <strong>of</strong> the verb (e.g., “has eaten”).<br />

• If the emphasis <strong>of</strong> the context is on the current implications <strong>of</strong> the action, use the English<br />

present tense (“It is written.”)<br />

First perfect active<br />

1 sg levluka I have loosed ka - e[lusa<br />

2 sg levluka" You have loosed ka " e[lusa"<br />

3 sg levluke(n) He/she/it has loosed ke - (n) e[luse(n)<br />

1 pl leluvkamen We have loosed ka men ejluvsamen<br />

2 pl leluvkate You have loosed ka te ejluvsate<br />

3 pl leluvkasi(n) They have loosed ka si (n) e[lusan<br />

First perfect middle/passive<br />

1 sg levlumai I have been loosed mai luvomai<br />

2 sg levlusai You have been loosed sai luvh/<br />

3 sg levlutai He/she/it has been loosed tai luvetai<br />

1 pl leluvmeqa We have been loosed meqa luovmeqa<br />

2 pl levlusqe You have been loosed sqe luvesqe<br />

3 pl levluntai They have been loosed ntai luvontai


28 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Overview <strong>of</strong> Indicative<br />

present imperfect future 1st aorist 2nd aorist perfect<br />

active indicative<br />

1 sg luvw e[luon luvsw e[lusa e[labon levluka<br />

2 sg luvei" e[ [lue" luvsei" e[lusa" e[labe" levluka"<br />

3 sg luvei e[lue(n) luvsei e[luse(n) e[labe(n) levluke(n)<br />

1 pl luvomen ejluvomen luvsomen ejluvsamen ejlavbomen leluvkamen<br />

2 pl luvete ejluvete luvsete ejluvsate ejlavbete leluvkate<br />

3 pl luvousi(n) e[luon luvsousi(n) e[lusan e[labon leluvkasi(n)<br />

middle indicative<br />

1 sg luvomai ejluovmhn luvsomai ejlusavmhn ejgenovmhn levlumai<br />

2 sg luvh/ ejluvou luvvsh/<br />

ejluvsw ejgevnou levlusai<br />

3 sg luvetai ejluveto luvsetai ejluvsato ejgevneto levlutai<br />

1 pl luovmeqa ejluovmeqa lusovmeqa ejlusavmeqa ejgenovmeqa leluvmeqa<br />

2 pl luvesqe ejluvesqe luvsesqe ejluvsasqe ejgevnesqe levlusqe<br />

3 pl luvontai ejluvonto luvsontai ejluvsanto ejgevnonto levluntai<br />

passive indicative<br />

1 sg luvomai ejluovmhn luqhvsomai ejluvqhn ejgravfhn levlumai<br />

2 sg luvh/ ejluvou luqhvsh/ ejluvqh" egravfh" levlusai<br />

3 sg luvetai ejluveto luqhvsetai ejluvqh ejgravfh levlutai<br />

1 pl luovmeqa ejluovmeqa luqhsovmeqa ejluvqhmen ejgravfhmen leluvmeqa<br />

2 pl luvesqe ejluvesqe luqhvsesqe ejluvqhte ejgravfhte levlusqe<br />

3 pl luvontai ejluvonto luqhvsontai ejluvqhsan ejgravfhsan levluntai<br />

present imperfect future<br />

1 sg eijmiv h[mhn e[somai<br />

2 sg ei\ h\", h\sqa e[sh/<br />

3 sg ejstiv(n) h\n e[stai<br />

1 pl ejsmevn h\men, h\meqa ejsovmeqa<br />

2 pl ejstev h\te e[sesqe<br />

3 pl eijsiv(n) h\san e[sontai<br />

• eijmi√ will be followed by a predicate nominative, not a direct object.


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 29<br />

Specialty Verbs<br />

S.95 For the paradigms <strong>of</strong> the following forms, see your textbook.<br />

Compound Verbs<br />

S.96 A compound verb is a verb that is made up <strong>of</strong> two parts, a preposition and a verb. For example,<br />

ejkbavllw (“I throw out”) is a compound <strong>of</strong> the preposition ejk (“out”) and the verb bavllw (“I<br />

throw”).<br />

S.97 Compound verbs form their tense stems the same way as the simple verb. For example, the<br />

future <strong>of</strong> bavllw is balw', and the future <strong>of</strong> ejkbavllw is ejkbalw'.<br />

S.98 The augment comes after the preposition and before the stem <strong>of</strong> the verb. The imperfect <strong>of</strong><br />

katabaivnw is katevbainon.<br />

• Whenever the preposition ends in a vowel, that final vowel will either drop out before the<br />

augment or in a few cases (such as compounds with periv) it stays but will not contract (e.g.,<br />

peripatevw ≥ periepavtoun).<br />

S.99 A compound verb reduplicates the verbal part <strong>of</strong> a compound verb, just like the imperfect and<br />

aorist augment the verbal part <strong>of</strong> a compound.<br />

Contract Verbs<br />

ejkbavllw ≥ ejkbevblhka<br />

S.100 Contract verbs are verbs whose stems end in alpha, epsilon, or omicron. When that final stem<br />

vowel comes into contact with the connecting vowel, the two vowels contract.<br />

• There always will be a circumflex over the contracted vowels in the present active indicative.<br />

• The lexical form shows the contract vowel (ajgapavw), but if that form actually occurs in the<br />

text the contract vowel and omicron will have contracted (ajgapw', poiw', plhrw').<br />

• In the first person singular, no personal ending is used so the connecting vowel lengthens<br />

to omega.<br />

• The second person singular seems to follow its own rules.<br />

S.101 Rules <strong>of</strong> Contraction<br />

1. ou is formed by eo, oe, and oo.<br />

ou ≤ eo poiou'men ≤ poieomen<br />

ou ≤ oe plhrou'te ≤ plhroete<br />

2. ei is formed by ee.<br />

ei ≤ ee poieiæte ≤ poieete<br />

3. w is formed from almost any combination <strong>of</strong> omicron or omega with any other vowel,<br />

except for rule #1.<br />

w ≤ ao ajgapw'men ≤ ajgapaomen<br />

w ≤ aou ajgapw'si ≤ ajgapaousi


30 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

4. a is formed from ae.<br />

a ≤ ae ajgapa'te ≤ ajgapaete<br />

a/ ≤ aei ajgapa/ ' ≤ ajgapaei<br />

5. h is formed from ea.<br />

/ h/ ≤ eai poih' ≤ poihi ≤ poieai ≤ poiesai<br />

6. Miscellaneous<br />

oi ≤ oei plhroiæ" ≤ plhroei"<br />

7. The contraction <strong>of</strong> diphthongs<br />

plhroiæ ≤ plhroei<br />

a. If the contract vowel and the first vowel <strong>of</strong> the diphthong are the same, they simplify.<br />

ei ≤ eei poieiæ" ≤ poieei"<br />

ou ≤ oou plhrou'si ≤ plhroousi<br />

b. If the contract vowel and the first vowel <strong>of</strong> the diphthong are different, they contract.<br />

If the second vowel <strong>of</strong> the diphthong is an iota, it subscripts if possible; if it is an upsilon<br />

it drops <strong>of</strong>f.<br />

ou ≤ eou poiou'sin ≤ poieousi<br />

8. Contract verbs contract as if the true personal endings are those visible in the present active<br />

indicative.<br />

S.102 Lengthening. The contract vowel lengthens before a tense formative. Alpha and epsilon both<br />

lengthen to eta while omicron lengthens to omega.<br />

*ajgapa + s + w ≥ ajgaphvsw


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 31<br />

Stems ending in a stop<br />

S.103 If the stem <strong>of</strong> a verb ends in a stop, when the sigma <strong>of</strong> the future/aorist tense formative is added<br />

to the stem, the following changes occur.<br />

Labial ps ≥ y blep + sw ≥ blevyw<br />

bs ≥ y<br />

fs ≥ y graf + sw ≥ gravyw<br />

Velar ks ≥ x diwk + sw ≥ diwvxw<br />

gs ≥ x ag + sw ≥ a[xw<br />

cs ≥ x ejlegc + sw ≥ ejlevgxw<br />

Dental ts ≥ s<br />

ds ≥ s baptid + sw ≥ baptivsw<br />

qs ≥ s peiq + sw ≥ peivsw<br />

S.104 Verbal roots that end in a stop undergo significant change in the perfect middle/passive<br />

because they are placed immediately next to the consonant <strong>of</strong> the personal ending.<br />

labial (p b f) velar (k g c) dental (t d q)<br />

gravfw diwvkw peivqw<br />

mai gevgrammai dedivwgmai pevpeismai<br />

sai gevgrayai dedivwxai pevpeisai<br />

tai gevgraptai dedivwktai pevpeistai<br />

meqa gegravmmeqa dediwvgmeqa pepeivsmeqa<br />

sqe gevgrafqe dedivwcqe pevpeisqe<br />

ntai eijsi; gegrammevnoi eijsi; dediwgmevnoi eijsi; pepeismevnoi<br />

S.105 Stops change when immediately followed by a theta in the aorist pasive.<br />

pq ≥ fq *blep + qh ≥ ejblevfqhn<br />

bq ≥ fq *ejlhmb + qhn ≥ ejlhvmfqhn<br />

kq ≥ cq *diwk + qh ≥ ejdiwvcqhn<br />

gq ≥ cq *ag + qh ≥ h[cqhn<br />

tq ≥ sq 1<br />

dq ≥ sq *baptid+ qh ≥ ejbapti√sqhn<br />

qq ≥ sq *peiq + qh ≥ ejpei√sqhn<br />

1 There is no example <strong>of</strong> this combination in aorist verbs in the New Testament.


32 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

Liquid Verbs<br />

S.106 The consonants l, m, n, and r are called “liquids.”<br />

S.107 Liquid Future. A liquid future adds es and then the connecting vowel. However, a sigma does<br />

not like to stand between two vowels so it drops out, and the epsilon and connecting vowel<br />

contract (men + es + o + men ≥ meneomen ≥ menou'men ).<br />

1 sg menw' I will remain poiw' mevnw<br />

2 sg menei'" You will remain poiei'" mevnei"<br />

3 sg menei' He/she/it will remain poiei' mevnei<br />

1 pl menou'men We will remain poiou'men mevnomen<br />

2 pl menei'te You will remain poiei'te mevnete<br />

3 pl menou'si(n) They will remain poiou'si(n) mevnousi(n)<br />

1 sg menou'mai I will remain poiou'mai mevnomai<br />

2 sg menh'/<br />

You will remain poih'/<br />

mevnh/<br />

3 sg menei'tai He/she/it will remain poiei'tai mevnetai<br />

1 pl menouvmeqa We will remain poiouvmeqa menovmeqa<br />

2 pl menei'sqe You will remain poiei'sqe mevnesqe<br />

3 pl menou'ntai They will remain poiou'ntai mevnontai<br />

• The future <strong>of</strong> a liquid verb looks just like the present tense epsilon contract verb.<br />

• Accents. The accent can also be helpful in identifying a liquid verb (but not in distinguishing<br />

it from an epsilon contract). A liquid future always has a circumflex over the contracted<br />

vowels.<br />

• Stem changes. Along with the different tense formative, the stems <strong>of</strong> liquid verbs sometime<br />

undergo a change in the present. For example, balw' is the future form <strong>of</strong> the verbal<br />

root *bal, which has the present tense form bavllw.<br />

S.108 Liquid aorists. Instead <strong>of</strong> adding sa as the tense formative, liquid verbs add only alpha and<br />

then sometimes modify the tense stem.


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 33<br />

Tense Stems <strong>of</strong> Verbs Occurring<br />

Fifty Times or More in the New Testament<br />

The following forms that are underlined should probably be memorized. See BBG for a fuller discussion<br />

<strong>of</strong> this chart and the explanations for each individual form.<br />

present future aorist act perfect act perfect mid/pas aorist pas<br />

ajgapavw ajgaphvsw hjgavphsa hjgavphka hjgavphmai hjgaphvqhn<br />

a[gw a[xw h[gagon - h\gmai h[cqhn<br />

ai[rw ajrw' h\ra h\rka h\rmai h[rqhn<br />

aijtevw aijthvsw h/ [thsa h/ [thka h/ [thmai -<br />

ajkolouqevw ajkolouqhvsw hjkolouvqhsa hjkolouvqhka - -<br />

ajkouvw ajkouvsw h[kousa ajkhvkoa - hjkouvsqhn<br />

ajnabai√nw ajnabhvsomai ajnevbhn ajnabevbhka - -<br />

ajni√sthmi ajnasthvsw ajnevsthsa ajnevsthka ajnevsthmai ajnestavqhn<br />

ajnoi√gw ajnoi√xw ajnevw/xa - - ajnew/ vcqhn<br />

ajpevrcomai ajpeleuvsomai ajph'lqon ajpelhvluqa - -<br />

ajpoqnh/ vskw ajpoqanou'mai ajpevqanon - - -<br />

ajpokri√nomai - ajpekrinavmhn - - ajpekri√qhn<br />

ajpoktei√nw ajpoktenw' ajpevteina - - ajpektavnqhn<br />

ajpovllumi ajpolevsw ajpwvlesa ajpovlwla - -<br />

ajpoluvw ajpoluvsw ajpevlusa - ajpolevlumai ajpeluvqhn<br />

ajpostevllw ajpostelw' ajpevsteila ajpevstalka ajpevstalmai ajpestavlhn<br />

a[rcw a[rxomai hjrxavmhn - - -<br />

ajspavzomai - hjspasavmhn - - -<br />

ajfi√hmi ajfhvsw ajfh'ka - ajfevwmai ajfevqhn<br />

bavllw balw' e[balon bevblhka bevblhmai ejblhvqhn<br />

bapti√zw bapti√sw ejbavptisa - bebavptismai ejbapti√sqhn<br />

blevpw blevyw e[bleya - - -<br />

gennavw gennhvsw ejgevnnhsa gegevnnhka gegevnnhmai ejgennhvqhn<br />

gi√nomai genhvsomai ejgenovmhn gevgona gegevnhmai ejgenhvqhn<br />

ginwvskw gnwvsomai e[gnwn e[gnwka e[gnwsmai ejgnwvsqhn<br />

gravfw gravyw e[graya gevgrafa gevgrammai ejgravfhn<br />

dei' - - - - -<br />

devcomai devxomai ejdexavmhn - devdegmai ejdevcqhn<br />

present future aorist act perfect act perfect mid/pas aorist pas<br />

didavskw didavxw ejdi√daxa - - ejdidavcqhn


34 <strong>Summary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Basics</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Biblical</strong> <strong>Greek</strong><br />

di√dwmi dwvsw e[dwka devdwka devdomai ejdovqhn<br />

dokevw dovxw e[doxa - - -<br />

doxavzw doxavsw ejdovxasa - dedovxasmai ejdoxavsqhn<br />

duvnamai dunhvsomai - - - hjdunhvqhn<br />

ejgei√rw ejgerw' h[geira - ejghvgermai hjgevrqhn<br />

eijmi√ e[somai h[mhn - - -<br />

eijsevrcomai eijseleuvsomai eijsh'lqon eijselhvluqa - -<br />

ejkbavllw ejkbalw' ejxevbalon ejkbevblhka ejkbevblhmai ejxeblhvqhn<br />

ejxevrcomai ejxeleuvsomai ejxh'lqon ejxelhvluqa - -<br />

ejperwtavw ejperwthvsw ejphrwvthsa - - -<br />

e[rcomai ejleuvsomai h\lqon ejlhvluqa - -<br />

ejrwtavw ejrwthvsw hjrwvthsa - - -<br />

ejsqi√w favgomai e[fagon - - -<br />

eujaggeli√zw - eujhggevlisa - eujhggevlismai eujhggeli√sqhn<br />

euJri√skw euJrhvsw eu|ron eu{rhka - euJrevqhn<br />

e[cw e{xw e[scon e[schka - -<br />

zavw zhvsw e[zhsa - - -<br />

zhtevw zhthvsw ejzhvthsa - - ejzhthvqhn<br />

qevlw qelhvsw hjqevlhsa - - hjqelhvqhn<br />

qewrevw - ejqewvrhsa - - -<br />

i{sthmi sthvsw e[sthsa e{sthka e{stamai ejstavqhn<br />

kavqhmai kaqhvsomai - - - -<br />

kalevw kalevsw ejkavlesa kevklhka kevklhmai ejklhvqhn<br />

katabai√nw katabhvsomai katevbhn katabevbhka - -<br />

khruvssw khruvxw ejkhvruxa - kekhvrugmai ejkhruvcqhn<br />

kravzw kravxw e[kraxa kevkraga - -<br />

kratevw krathvsw ejkravthsa kekravthka kekravthmai -<br />

kri√nw krinw' e[krina kevkrika kevkrimai ejkri√qhn<br />

lalevw lalhvsw ejlavlhsa lelavlhka lelavlhmai ejlalhvqhn<br />

lambavnw lhvmyomai e[labon ei[lhfa ei[lhmmai ejlhvmfqhn<br />

levgw ejrw' ei\pon ei[rhka ei[rhmai ejrrevqhn<br />

marturevw marturhvsw ejmartuvrhsa memartuvrhka memartuvrhmai ejmarturhvqhn<br />

present future aorist act perfect act perfect mid/pas aorist pas<br />

mevllw mellhvsw - - - -<br />

mevnw menw' e[meina memevnhka - -<br />

oi\da eijdhvsw h/ [dein - - -


<strong>Greek</strong> Verbal Grammar 35<br />

oJravw o[yomai ei\don eJwvraka - w[fqhn<br />

ojfei√lw - - - - -<br />

paradi√dwmi paradwvsw parevdwka paradevdwka paradevdomai paredovqhn<br />

parakalevw parakalevsw parekavlesa parakevklhka parakevklhmai pareklhvqhn<br />

pei√qw pei√sw e[peisa pevpoiqa pevpeismai ejpei√sqhn<br />

pevmpw pevmyw e[pemya - - ejpevmfqhn<br />

peripatevw peripathvsw periepavthsa - - periepathvqhn<br />

pi√nw pi√omai e[pion pevpwka - ejpovqhn<br />

pi√ptw pesou'mai e[peson pevptwka - -<br />

pisteuvw pisteuvsw ejpi√steusa pepi√steuka pepi√steumai ejpisteuvqhn<br />

plhrovw plhrwvsw ejplhvrwsa peplhvrwka peplhvrwmai ejplhrwvqhn<br />

poievw poihvsw ejpoi√hsa pepoi√hka pepoi√hmai ejpoihvqhn<br />

poreuvomai poreuvsomai - - pepovreumai ejporeuvqhn<br />

prosevrcomai proseleuvsomai prosh'lqon proselhvluqa - -<br />

proseuvcomai proseuvxomai proshuxavmhn - - -<br />

proskunevw proskunhvsw prosekuvnhsa - - -<br />

sunavgw sunavxw sunhvgagon - sunh'gmai sunhvcqhn<br />

sw/ vzw swvsw e[swsa sevswka sevsw/smai ejswvqhn<br />

threvw thrhvsw ejthvrhsa tethvrhka tethvrhmai ejthrhvqhn<br />

ti√qhmi qhvsw e[qhka tevqeika tevqeimai ejtevqhn<br />

uJpavgw uJpavxw uJphvgagon - uJph'gmai uJphvcqhn<br />

uJpavrcw uJpavrxomai uJphrxavmhn - - -

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!